Training Schedule

One question that vexes many HEMA practitioners, especially newer practitioners, is “How often should I train?” This is a reasonable question, one normally asked with a slight tone of desperation, because unfortunately very few of us have the good fortune to practice HEMA as our primary job. We must figure out how often can we meet at the club, how many hours can we devote to training, how much energy do we have after work today, who is available to train with us, what times are we available compared to when the club/school is open, etc. It can all be a little overwhelming and discouraging.

But an important thing to keep in mind here: “training,” at least in this context, has a somewhat flexible definition. When we say training the very first thing that comes to mind is us drilling with our study group, or one on one with our instructor, or in class. Very typical and normal things to think of when we say “training” but not truly the entire scope of things.

Because of this, the answer to that straightforward question is a somewhat evasive, “It depends.”

So here I present to you some different ways in which you can train and suggestions as to how frequently you should do it. Keep in mind, this is entirely my opinion based upon my experience, but I think it’s at least a good, if rather rough, template in which you can smooth out and make fit in your world.

Exercise/Pell Work: Constantly

See how I mean training can have a flexible definition? When we exercise we don’t normally feel like it’s training. It’s good for us, it’s something we do to stay fit and healthy, to live longer, to get a lower rate on our health insurance, but we don't feel like it's training. And perhaps strictly speaking it isn't, but it certainly can have a training benefit in general as well as one in specific based on what kind of exercise you do.

One obvious general training benefit it can have is whenever you stretch your cardio-vascular strength. Endurance can be a major part of fighting (and fighting well), so the longer you can remain at peak fighting shape while your heart is pounding the better you’ll be. Whether you’re doing an elliptical machine, hiking, running, working on the treadmill, it is an obvious way to generally train yourself for a later fencing match.

But you can also exercise in ways that are training specific. For instance, rather than lifting weights normally you can find a kettlebell program designed to focus on the muscles and movements used when fighting. We all know strong shoulders are vitally important in fencing, but strong moving shoulders are more important; the way kettlebells strengthen your shoulders through a range of dynamic motion captures movements closer to sword-wielding, and so nicely overlaps exercise and training.

Another way to combine exercise and training -- and with this option the overlap is far more obvious -- is to use Indian clubs of various weights and to swing them in the exact same movements you would when using your weapon. Make a routine based upon numerous repetitions of lifting and swinging a heavily weighted club as a core part of your weight-lifting exercise and you will quickly know every little muscle used to lift your sword…unfortunately, because they will ache. A lot. But the good news is your sword will feel like nothing as you now transition from position to position.

Quick note here: I am not an exercise specialist nor am I a trainer. I’m using the kettlebell and Indian club as an example through my own experience, but if you want an exercise program designed to closely match your sword fighting needs get the advice of an actual expert!

Yet perhaps the most important way you can combine exercise with training is to do it the way the actual historic fighters did it -- train with your pell every day. Pell work is, to me, one of the most significant aspects of proper training, one that is borne out by its repeated use throughout history. Pell work allows you to focus on your movements, to practice targeting, to practice distance, to work on your footwork and the lightness of your feet; when done at full speed with intent it is a heck of a cardio work out, too.

Your regular exercise program, together with your pell work, should be done on a daily basis. Exercise is, obviously, just generally good for you and generally makes you fitter for fighting, while at the same time allows you to focus on exercises that overlap training. Your pell work can be a serious work out while also being excellent solo training, training that will definitely and quickly show as you spar with your colleagues.

Club Training: Frequently

This now is our “typical” training, what we see in our minds when we think of training, and for a lot of people the very reason when entered a HEMA group to begin with. We want to meet with like-minded individuals, spend time in active pursuit of our fencing goals with them…and occasionally hit them with a sword.

Weekly is the minimal amount of time you want to spend at club training. If you have the option to be there twice or thrice a week, great. More often, even better. But making the commitment to be there on a weekly basis is extremely important. 

This is due in part to the nature of how we learn, especially physical things, and how many hours it takes to develop muscle memory compared to how quickly we can forget how to physically do something. This is also in part just because of the nature of our modern lives and that plans change, so if you commit to once a week, even though you wanted to be there three times but on two days something else came up, you still get there weekly.

The way the club or school trains is entirely up to the instructors there. At our club, we do a lot of drilling, a lot of repetitions to create muscle memory, and a lot of drills designed to “develop the eye” or make quick feet. Your school might take a different approach, but so long as you are training with your people on at least a weekly basis you will improve (as long as your club isn’t essentially a social club with swords!).

Sparring: Occasionally

Sparring is indeed training, though it may often seem like the point of training. Sparring is that point where all of the training comes into sharp focus. You are engaging in the dance of attack and defend, you are moving your feet as swiftly and gracefully as possible, you are responding to your opponent and noting the feel of things. You are, indeed, fighting. There isn't much here that feels like training.

However, keep in mind that sparring is an excellent training tool -- perhaps the training tool par excellence. In it, you are forced to go against an uncooperative opponent, one who is using all of their own skills to land a hit against you just as you are against them. All of those moves that feel so natural in drilling, all of that footwork that seems to flow so naturally while focusing on it, can fall apart while sparring.

Great! Because, frustrating as that is, it provides you excellent fodder for fencing growth if you allow it to be. That's a big if. You need to be mindful to use sparring as a learning tool and not just as a fun scuffle with swords. You need to fence with all your attention on your opponent while keeping part of you outside yourself to note what you're doing, what's working well, what's failing, and what needs to improve. If you're able to have another person watching for things to point out you're doing wrong that needs to be improved all the better.

But the thing with sparring is you don't actually want to overdo it. This gets back to the idea of drilling to develop muscle memory and to make sure that the slightest variables -- like the way you're holding the sword, or the amount of pressure you apply to your toes as you slightly pivot -- that can lead to wildly different results are as close to perfect as possible. You need to drill, drill, and then drill some more to make sure all these variables are accounted for. 

If you spar too often, or you spar without first having trained enough, you create artifacts of bad technique that start to become how you do things normally. The more you spar with bad technique the more entrenched it becomes, so then the harder it will be to unlearn your old behavior and replace it with the new. That's why I have this as "occasionally," giving you plenty of time to train and drill so that when you do spar it is as technically clean as possible.

Competing: Seldomly

So, a few things first before I get into the details on this one. First of all, competing, in general, seems to be a fairly contentious issue within HEMA. Some people get very fired up at the apparent "sportification" of HEMA due to competitions, saying it is being taken away from its pure martial roots. Some other folks get equally fired up by those who refuse to compete, noting that you can't call yourself a real fencer unless you've been in a tournament. Some people get worked up about how people absolutely should -- or should not -- compete.  

Personally, this is complicating something which is simple that really needs to remain simple. Do you want to compete, or not? That's fairly simple, isn't it? 

As for the larger question of sportification, that's not something we can control in the big picture, though it does relate to something I'll get to in a moment. But one quick thing to be aware of: if you find yourself involved with a club that has a "must to" policy about competing -- you must or you must not -- you might want to consider finding another club. 

Most of the things I said about sparring will be the same for competing, since it is basically sparring writ large. The idea of using it as training is exactly the same as in sparring, and the concerns are the same in regards to artifacts. I've made the time frame "seldom" with a flexible mind, because this will mean different things to different people based upon a variety of factors: financial resources, competitive nature, time to devote to various events, etc.

But the main reason I would suggest intentionally limiting this to a few events a year, or perhaps one or two big events, is the danger you have in "teaching for the test," so to speak. If you find yourself competing too often then your mind can become focused on finding quick attacks, light flicking touches, things that might score you a point and win your pool but are things that might not be historically valid. This would be another form of artifact, and so the more often you compete the more danger there is to develop this style. Please note, I'm not saying this will happen, nor am I saying there is anything inherently wrong with competing; I'm just saying the danger is indeed there.

So my recommendation is, if you want to compete, do so, but limit the events to two to four in a year, based on various factors. As you train for the competition, train hard, train well, train to win, but train in a way that honors HEMA and the historical sources of it, and then fight in a similar way. 

Test Cutting: Varies

Test cutting is one of those historical forms of training the importance of which cannot be overstated. It is the best and surest way to ensure edge alignment and to develop technically precise, accurate, powerful, well-made cuts every single time.

Test cutting can also be something of a pain. Tatami mats are expensive and take a load of time to roll and to soak. It can be annoying to save up several dozen milk jugs for weeks and makes a mess when you're done. And I honestly know of no one who has a giant clump of clay laying around for them to use on test cutting with regularity.  

  

That's why the time frame here is variable. Test cut as often as you can, but that might be limited due to several factors. But regardless, make sure you are test cutting from time to time. No better way to learn how to cut and cut well.

OK, so just a few suggestions regarding how often one should train, together with what might be a new way to look at what "training" means for some folks. How often do you train, and in what ways? Do you do these things or are there other training methods you use? How often do you meet with your club (if you have one) and in what ways do you train together?

Stay loose, everyone, and train hard!

-- Scott